Posted on 11/07/2011 3:34:49 AM PST by marktwain
An antiques firearms collector was jailed for two years after he was found to have four air rifles and ammunition without the correct licences.
When police raided Karl Blennerhassett's luxury flat in Up Holland, West Lancashire, they found more than 140 guns, including racks of rifles and revolvers, a court heard.
Expert examination found that the vast majority were classed as antiques and legally owned but it was the other items which landed him behind bars.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Blennerhassett, who works for his father's tarmacking business, had previously held a firearms certificate.
However, it was revoked in 2008 after he was convicted and fined for failing to comply with its conditions.
Blennerhassett admitted possessing one air rifle without a certificate, which was just over the permitted velocity limit, and was convicted by a jury of illegally possessing three others which had been modified, and two charges of possessing a bullet.
'Each of these three rifles are deemed specially dangerous under the legislation,' said Judge Mark Brown.
'Each was of high specification in that each had been fitted with a sound moderator and telescopic sight. Each had been modified and modified in a very professional way.'
The judge accepted that Blennerhassett had not modified the weapons himself but he did not accept that he had not known they were modified.
'This is a serious case and I am satisfied you were deliberately flouting the provisions of the Firearms Act,' he said.
The judge said Blennerhassett had decided to sidestep the legislation by having the air rifles modified so that it appeared they were legal when in fact they were not.
The police raid last December also uncovered what was described as an "air rifle kit" involving magazines, pellets and compression springs.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Albert Einstein said, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. "
What human accomplishment convinces you that your nation will never again come under attack?
Do you think that people have universally adopted "democracy" as the solution to all human problems? Or are there significant populations that believe otherwise and who would kill you to make the point?
Of those who claim to espouse "democracy", who among them do you trust not to impose their version of democracy upon you? Who among them doesn't believe that your property, your labor, your children, and your future should all be under the control of the majority?
Are you convinced that you now possess so little in the way of wealth or culture that others will not be motivated by envy to take what you have and destroy what you value?
Be aware that the destructive power of envy will only be increased by the failure of socialist systems around the world. The enormous debts incurred during the last half century will either be repudiated or defaulted. They cannot be repaid.
Will you be among those who are blamed for such economic chaos or will you be among those who blame others? Either way, what will prevent you from suffering greatly because of it? What convinces you that your best days are ahead rather than behind you?
Ah, the Moozlims, right, gotcha.
I was too distracted by the fact that 97% of the British population is NOT Muslim.
But are you distracted enough to allow your own “British” government to cancel your God given rights?
At least you recognize the muzzie threat, but the real threat is being ignored.
Oh, so Merry Ole England is not such a bad place to own firearms, which you seem to be implying.
Among your vast collection, are there any .44 magnum revolvers, Thompson machine guns, AK-47s, you know, interesting guns? Not shotguns, no matter how elegant they may appear.
You say that you are not allowed to own such armaments? Pity. We are.
I had a good friend who was on the Wisconsin university pistol team 40 years ago. She had just come from a visit to the UK where she had acquired a Colt .45. She said the gun laws there were not too bad, all you had to do was join a club.
40 years later, and you are not allowed to own modern pistols. Licenses are required for a number of air guns, subject to considerable police discretion.
We have the Second Amendment of our Constitution, you had an Englishman's right to arms. Because our rights were written down, we have been slower to give in to the progressive disease, and may serve as an example for finding our way back to more freedom.
I think that in many parts of the rural UK, the chains are pretty light and tolerable. The UK still has some freedoms that we have allowed to slip away, such as earning income in another country without it being taxed.
I salute you for your contributions to freerepublic, and look forward to reading them.
Always assume that there is an aggressor and prepare for it. Peace is fine as long as you are prepared for war.
Britain has lapsed in that regard and at some point, there will be another aggressor who wants to control Europe or the world. If you think it won’t or can’t happen again, you are only fooling yourself.
What I am referring to is that we sent guns to Britain to help in the defense of a friendly nation. Then long after the war, Britain puts draconian restrictions on gun ownership and destroys tens of thousands of guns in the hands of the citizenry. The British citizens were fools to allow disarmament. If they allow their own government to take their ability to defend themselves away, imagine what they’ll do for an invader...
If by ‘long after the war’, you are referring to the handgun ban post-Dunblane (1996), the British govt didnt destroy the guns people held at the time of tbe ban. They did have an amnesty to allow people to hand in now-illegal guns, and whilst some handed their guns in, many simply ‘disappeared’.
the fact that it happened is sad. Truly sad. Your government should be ashamed of what it has done.
The fear that the British Government has of firearms, including air rifles is almost laughable except that they also stripped the right of the citizens to effectively defend themselves. The fact that the citizens put up with it is even worse.
No disagreement here.
It has happened because Britain has never been a gun owning populace, so there was little opposition to the various laws over the years. Esp. after Hungerford and Dunblane.
Actually I supported the particular ban after Hungerford on assault weapons, oddly enough.
Brave of you to admit that. Not many people would here. I must say I’m impressed with your truthfulness on it.
This is how I see it. I support bans on guns if it applies to everyone. That includes Governments and no exemptions. At that point, once all the guns are gone, I’ll build a ton of new guns and take over. If I don’t do it, someone else will. I promise to be a benign dictator. Really I do. And, if I’m not, whose gonna stop me?
See the problem with gun bans? The people that give up the guns have to trust that those who don’t will be nice to them. They rarely are.
The Crusades were not only not a bad idea... they were critical in the development of western civilization. Without them there would likely have been no renaissance.
Apologies for the time taken to reply, I’ve been away on business so I’ll round up all my replies into this one.
Nope, we can’t own what you call ‘interesting’ guns or pistols. I lived in the US for four years, when I lived there I owned handguns and supported general gun ownership. The UK is a very different country with very different requirements:
1) Our police are largely unarmed which I like. If we vote to allow handguns this will have to change.
2) Our criminals are largely unarmed which I like. If we vote to allow handguns this will have to change.
3) In the US around 10,000 people are killed with guns in a year. Here it is around 14.
So, to summarise - two very different countries which require different laws and if you haven’t lived in both, you really aren’t qualified to comment.
Keep enjoying your guns, I know I did when I lived there, but don’t try to compare apples with oranges! :)
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